NBC has picked up "Flight 29 Down" for a second season, and that's good news for its backers, said Rann Watumull of Hawai'i Film Partners, which co-produces the show with creator Stan Rogow and director DJ MacHale.

After a second-season dedication on Jan. 9, principle photography begins Jan. 10.

The show's ratings have increased steadily since it premiered in October. The show is now the No. 1 Discovery Kids show on NBC, "and we're not even halfway into the first season," Watumull said.

The show also is drawing interest in foreign markets.

Hawai'i Film Partners holds world distribution rights, and works with Showcase Entertainment as a subdistributor.

Hawai'i Film Partners took "Flight 29 Down" to MIPCOM 2005 in Cannes, France, a couple of months ago. The convention is a major event in the television and audiovisual content industry — 11,700 delegates and nearly 4,000 companies from 91 countries attended this year — and Hawai'i Film Partners was able to sell the show to broadcasters in France, Belgium, Sweden, Israel and Middle Eastern markets.

"Flight 29 Down," about a group of teenagers stranded on a deserted South Pacific island, is filmed on the North Shore. Local singer Tani Lynn Fujimoto is part of the cast, along with Hallee Hirsh, Johnny Pacar, Corbin Bleu, Allen Alvarado, Kristy Wu, Jeremy James Kissner and Lauren Storm. John Kapelos and Hawai'i actors Blade Rogers and B.K. Cannon also have appeared on the program.

Call for entries: The 17th Annual Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival, presented by the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation, is accepting submissions through March 1. The entry fee is $15 for entries shorter than 30 minutes and $25 for entries longer than 30 minutes. The fee is waived for local filmmakers. Submitted films must have been completed no earlier than Jan. 1, 2005. For more information, visit www.hrff.org.

Film Class: Dov S-S Simens' acclaimed 2-Day Film School returns to Honolulu Jan. 28-29. The intensive curriculum covers everything from the nuts and bolts of filmmaking to financing and distribution. Enrollment is limited. For more information, see www.hawaii producer.com or call 258-8018.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.